Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, 6 October 2025WARSAW, 6 October 2025 – Speaking today at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, organized by the 2025 OSCE Finnish Chairpersonship with the support of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons (Spain) highlighted the role of democracy in countering threats to human rights. He welcomed recent steps towards a resolution of the conflict in the Middle East, noting that the progress follows intensive grassroots pressure to alleviate human suffering in Gaza, which he said “must give hope to activists and social movements everywhere.”
Pons also highlighted the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine as a “violation of every principle of international law,” emphasizing that President Vladimir Putin’s “fight is not only against Ukraine, but against his own people, against Europe, and against democracy itself.”
The OSCE PA, Pons noted, has repeatedly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
In response to broader threats to human rights across the OSCE area, the President highlighted the need for a stronger democratic response from all levels of society.
“Threatened by powerful digital regimes — by those who manipulate truth, spread hate, and take advantage of a regulatory vacuum to push ideas that go directly against democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression,” Pons said. “The best answer to this is more democracy. More rights. More dialogue. Stronger societies. Stronger media. And yes — clear rules to limit the dangerous overlap of technological, political, and financial power.”
He also stressed the need to ensure consistent messaging and application of principles within the international community. “If we want to be credible in defending the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, we must act without double standards,” he said.
In addition, the President emphasized the need to improve gender equality throughout the OSCE region. “Too often, women bear a double burden,” he said, “for being women, and for daring to take part in politics, journalism, activism, or justice. This must be confronted.”
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